Lending a hand | PHOTOS

Lending a hand | PHOTOS

FUNDING: Eyre Hotel Manager Carl Church will be donating $1 from every schnitzel sold in the month of August to our farmers. Locals were also busy buying bags of fruit from Network Video to support the same cause.

Tom Antonio's homegrown fruit proved popular with locals, selling out on the first day.

Local businesses and groups are lending a hand to farmers in need in New South Wales and Queensland facing one of the worst droughts in living memory by raising much-needed funds.

Angela and Tom Antonio have been selling bags of local-grown tangelos, blood oranges, lemonades and limes at Network Video, raising $516 in one day.

The funds will go to the Buy a Bale campaign, which helps Aussie farmers pay their bills and feed their livestock.

Ms Antonio hoped that farmers would feel less isolated by seeing the amount of people donating.

“It’s the money that will help them but also the compassion that will uplift them at this desperate time,” she said.

“I was overwhelmed by the support yesterday, people gave a lot.”

The Eyre Hotel will be donating $1 from every schnitzel they sell in the month of August as part of Parma for a Farmer. Manager Carl Church says the hotel generally sells around 1000 schnitzels every month.

The money raised from the schnitzels will also go to the Buy a Bale campaign.

“Farmers are the backbone of Austraila. If it wasn’t for farmers we wouldn’t be eating,” Mr Church said.

“We would like to see more businesses get on board because we all need farmers. We have people wanting to book here specifically to have a schnitzel, which is fantastic to see.”

Hincks Avenue Primary School are hosting a “Shake it for a Farmer” event on August 29, where all proceeds from milkshakes sold will go to the Hay and Hampers for Hope campaign.

The campaign has called on schools around Australia to donate $100 each and in doing so raise $1 million to go towards hay for drought-affected farmers.

Principal Dominica Thomson said it would help students affected by the images of farmers struggling to take action and support them.

“It helps teach them how to be engaged citizens in the future,” she said.

“Everyone we spoke to about this idea immediately got on board. We’re hoping by the time we get to the day we can add a baking sale as well.”

The West Whyalla Football Club will be donating $2 from every schnitzel, parmigana and kilpatrick they sell in August and September to the Buy a Bail campaign.

Club Director Malcolm McLeod reiterated Mr Church’s comments that farmers were the ‘backbone of Australia’.

The Westlands Hotel also plan to get involved with their own fundraising.